Saturday, March 31, 2007

Iranian parliamentary delegation arrives in Beijing An Iranian delegation including members of Majlis Cultural Commission arrived in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Saturday. Upon their arrival in Beijing, the Iranian lawmakers including MP from Isfahan Mohammad-Taqi Rahbar, MP from Tehran Abbasali Akhtari and MP from Delijan Seyed Hassan Abbasi were welcomed by Iranian Ambassador to China Mohammad-Javad Aghajari.

If he's showing the true face of Islam I hope they checked his luggage for explosives.For his part, the MP from Isfahan told IRNA that introduction to China's cultural capacities and attempts towards strengthening Iran-China cultural ties are among the goals of the visit. Expressing satisfaction with the grounds for cultural exchanges between the two sides, he urged the need to show the true face of the Islamic Revolution to the world and inform the world public opinion of Iran's rational policies.

Sounds like Ummah Week to me...In response to a question about the upcoming Unity Week and the need for solidarity among Muslims, in particular those from Iran and China, he said that the Supreme Leader has named the New Iranian Year as the year of national unity and Islamic solidarity. "Therefore, we should make optimum use of such an opportunity to strengthen our relations with all world Muslims," he added. Turning to the need for unity and solidarity among Muslims, Rahbar said that such unity can elevate the status of Islam and Muslims in today's world.

Remind me to do a little voodoo dance on Wednesday. (Panties be upon me)Members of Majlis Cultural Commission currently visiting China are scheduled to attend the ceremony marking the auspicious birthday of the holy Muslim Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) on the coming Wednesday, which will be attended by the Iranians residing in this country.

European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana plans to phone Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a bid to resolve the current stand-off over the arrested 15 British sailors who illegally entered Iran's territorial waters on March 23, the online site of the weekly Der Spiegel news magazine reported Saturday.

Islamist MPs are targeting new Education Minister Nouriya Al-Subeeh because she does not wear a headscarf, or hijab, as they insist that this violates sharia regulations cited in the elections law. When MPs passed the women political rights in May 2005, they voted on a recommendation requiring women to comply with "sharia regulations" which have never been explained or detailed. A number of Islamist MPs insist that wearing the hijab is one of the regulations that female members of the Assembly must comply with.

For beer and whiskey-loving Venezuelans, Easter this year won't be an alcohol-soaked drinking fest. President Hugo Chavez has imposed a ban on alcohol sales during Holy Week in an attempt to reduce accidents and crimes, prompting a run on liquor stores. The decree prohibits alcohol sales on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday next week.

A 110-year old Saudi man has taken a second wife because his first 85-year-old wife no longer satisfies his needs, the daily Arab News said on Friday. The report did not explain why the man considered his current wife to be unfulfilling, but it did point out that his new spouse is only 30 years old.

Under Islamic law, men are allowed to have as many as four wives, as long as they can support them and provide for them equally.

A 70-year-old son of the unnamed man, from the southern city of Baha, said his father was in good health and that his family was thrilled at the news of the latest nuptials.Hat tip: gondring at Free Republic.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran presents its compliments to the British Embassy in Tehran and draws the attention of the latter to the following: According to the information received from relevant authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, two British naval vessels manned by 15 fully equipped crews trespassed on Iran's territorial waters on 3 Farvardin 1386 (March 23, 2007). Since similar acts had taken place in the past and prior warning had been given against the repetition of such acts, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran protests strongly against this illegal act in violating Iranian territorial waters, emphasizes the respect for the rules and principles of international law concerning the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, underlines the responsibility of the British Government for the consequences of such violation, and calls for the guarantee to avoid the recurrence of such acts. It will be appreciated if the esteemed embassy conveys this note to the relevant authorities of its government and informs this Ministry of any explanation in this regard. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the British Embassy the assurances of its highest considerations.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's central bank governor said Tehran had plans to end the sale of its oil in dollars completely, state television reported on Friday, part of a move to protect the Islamic Republic from mounting U.S. pressure.

Funny. I thought the Iranians were going off the dollar to bring Great Satan to its knees.Read all about ithere.I say you want those hostages back? You target their refining capabilities and bring a show of naval force to the Gulf. Supplement this with sanctions and banking enforcement. Hell even the Iranians admit that refining and currency is their weakness. Iran has to import about 40 percent of its gasoline needs because it lacks refining capacity. Western diplomats have said they do not plan to target these imports, even though it is a vulnerable point, because it would hurt ordinary Iranians most.

Imagine my dismay at reading this quote from 'old wouldn't-say-shit-if-he-had-a-mouthful' Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns and one of his minions."...it was a "point of leverage" for Washington. A U.S. official said targeting fuel imports was unlikely in any third round of sanctions."

In Jerusalem:"The Speaker visited the Old City and toured the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," an official travelling with Pelosi told AFP."

The House Muslim was with her and she'll be having dinner with Shimon Peres. How nice.Pelosi -- whose delegation includes Democrat Keith Ellison the first Muslim elected to the US Congress -- will meet Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres for dinner later on Saturday, he said.

Tomorrow:...she is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni before speaking at an official ceremony in parliament.

It's a heady time for San Fran Nan.She also planned to hold talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Here's where it gets deep and really starts to stink:Syria's embassy in Washington hailed the proposed trip as "momentous" and expressed hopes it may change sorely strained relations with the United States, even as the White House denounced the visit as "a really bad idea" that undermines US policy. The State Department tried and failed to convince Pelosi, who will be the highest-ranking US official to visit Syria in years, to cancel the visit, which is expected to take place next week.

It then asked her to convey a "strong message" to Damascus, officials said.

Fat chance. She'll just make that goofy nervous giggle that she has and that will be about it. You know it's true.

The U.N. chief said Saturday that arms are reportedly still being smuggled over the border from Syria to Lebanon, and he urged all sides to fully comply with aUnited Nations resolution that ended the summer war between Hezbollah militants andIsrael. The leading Lebanese daily An-Nahar reported Saturday that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Lebanese security chiefs that Israel had provided him with "evidence and pictures" of trucks crossing from Syria to Lebanon and unloading weapons.

"There are intelligence reports that arms are smuggled. I am concerned by that kind of arms smuggling, which will destabilize the situation in Lebanon," he told reporters later during a stop at the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.Lebanon officials deny this is happening. Hezbollah is boasting about it. Speaker Pelosi is oblivious to it. I am reminded to say a prayer for safe release of the two Israeli soldiers who continue to be held hostage by the Religion of Peace. I'm sure Speaker Pelosi won't.Update: 11:53 am 4/1/07: Well, it looks like Speaker Pelosi made a big fat liar out of me... Captive Families ask Pelosi for signs of life

Grab the popcorn, kids. It's the movie we've all been waiting for - a Syrian made for TV movie about the "recent insulting cartoons of Mohammed" Panties Be Upon Him.

Sulaf Fokharji paints the true image of IslamSyrian actress Sulaf Fokharji has begun filming the scenes for her upcoming television drama “Sakef Al Alam” (Ceiling of the World). (ed. note: Okay, maybe I'm too sensitive but I have a problem with the title. If you will recall the restaurant at the top of the WTC was "Windows on the World." Call me crazy, but I think it's just another big middle finger from the media jihad.) The first filming location of the drama is in Denmark and the drama is scheduled to be aired during the upcoming Ramadan season.

This cracks me up ...dramatic pause...The new drama aims at presenting Islam in its true form. It will also talk about the recent insulting cartoons of Prophet Mohammad Peace Be Upon Him that were created in the Denmark and how they created chaos to break out.

It's all about the sixth pillar of Islam...VICTIMHOOD!The drama is a social one and tackles issues like mothers seeking jobs and leaving the home, connections in the working world, and how depression affects youth that are unemployed and struggling to make a living.

Too bad the movie won't tackle the issue of why this so-called religion of peace encourages mothers and youths to blow themselves to smithereens on buses, in cars, in crowded marketplaces, at mosques...office buildings, soccer fields, discos, liquor stores...hell. I could go on here all night....

Pic courtesy of BBC:per Kamangir:Apparently, the GPS which the British officials used to prove the fallacy of the Islamic Republic’s claims is not exactly how much sophisticated it might seem to be at the first sight. In fact, you can buy it on eBay for £89.99.

No offense, but I guess they should have used something a bit more military-looking for this big crisis. Not that I think that it matters at all whether or not the British soldiers have in fact “invaded” the Iranian territory.

The story is even more interesting than that. The Persian BBC translated the caption of the picture as “Satellite-based Tracking System for Sea Vessels”, while the description on eBay calls this device a “Stand-alone Navigation” system.

The British government is using 'fake maritime boundaries' in its claim that Iran's arrest of its servicemen was allegedly in Iraqi territorial waters, according to former head of Foreign Office's maritime section, Craig Murray.

"The Iran/Iraq maritime boundary shown on the British government map does not exist. It has been drawn up by the British Government," Murray said after the Ministry of Defence published a map about the incident on Wednesday.

"This published boundary is a fake with no legal force," he said.

"Only Iraq and Iran can agree their bilateral boundary, and they never have done this in the (Persian) Gulf," he pointed out.

Murray, who previously carried out British negotiations on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, said the only boundary was inside the river between the two countries because there is the land border too.

Figures. He came crawling out from the underbelly of the UN...and it looks like he has an axe to grind.

The former diplomat, who was dismissed as Britain's Ambassador to Uzbekistan in 2004 after disagreeing with his government's foreign policy, castigated the press for failing to challenge the validity of government's claim.

"...The 15 are most probably being held in the military barracks at Jamshidiyeh in the foothills of the Alborz mountains which shelter Tehran. Although the seven Royal Marines are drilled in techniques to cope with capture, the eight sailors have little relevant training. The number of vehicles entering the barracks has increased significantly since the British were caught, according to Alire-za Nourizadeh, a senior researcher at the Centre for Arab--Iranian Studies in London. The complex has an iconic role in Iranian revolutionary history and is no stranger to unwilling VIP guests. The Shah of Iran’s former officials, including a Mayor of Tehran, cabinet ministers and the Empress’s bureau chief, were locked up there in the 1970s. “They are kept in rooms with heating and [air] conditioning,” Dr Nourizadeh said. “They are getting good food and will be allowed to watch the television for a few hours each day and the guards will try to get them newspapers. “They will be scared. They will feel under pressure because they will hear chants of ‘Death to America, death to the UK’ [from soldiers in the barracks]. They will see men with guns. They will see all sorts of threatening gestures from the guards and the people around them will look at them with hate in their eyes.

Day 9 and we're sending notes back and forth like it was high school.Britain has sent a written response to the Iranian government regarding the 15 detained sailors and marines, the Foreign Office has said. It follows a letter received by the British Embassy in Tehran from the Iranian government earlier this week. Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said Britain had responded by diplomatic note to Iran's capture of the naval personnel. "We had a diplomatic note and we have made our response." The two sides were now talking, she said.

On a brighter note, it looks like the US State Dept is holding firm.The statement comes after the United States this morning ruled out a deal to exchange the 15 British sailors and Royal Marines captured by Iran for five Iranians held by US forces. State department spokesman Sean McCormack crushed hopes that the hostages could be swapped as the crisis over the captured Royal Navy personnel entered its ninth day.

The US seized five suspected members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Iraqi city of Irbil in January, fuelling claims that Iran has been supplying Iraqi insurgents with weapons.

Mr McCormack said: “The international community is not going to stand for the Iranian government trying to use this issue to distract the rest of the world from the situation in which Iran finds itself vis-a-vis its nuclear programme.”

What a bunch of bs.European foreign ministers failed last night to back Britain in a threat to freeze the €14 billion trade in exports to Iran, as the hostage crisis descended into a propaganda circus. EU foreign ministers meeting in Germany called for the sailors to be freed but ruled out any tightening of lucrative export credit rules. The EU is Iran’s biggest trading partner. British officials are understood to have taken soundings on economic sanctions before the meeting but found few takers.

EU Strategy: We shall throw the cheese at them!France, Iran’s second-largest EU trading partner, cautioned that further confrontation should be avoided. The Dutch said it was important not to risk a breakdown in dialogue

The Neo-Cons chime in... now we're talking!Britain’s response to the seizure of its sailors and Marines has been branded weak by Republicans in Washington. John Bolton, until recently the US Ambassador to the United Nations, described the Government’s incremental approach as “pathetic”.He said that Mr Blair should be threatening “real pain, real economic sanctions” unless Iran released the sailors immediately. “Britain has got to be tougher here,” he said.Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, urged Britain to threaten military force to destroy Iran’s petroleum industry.

Islamic countries pushed through a resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council Friday urging a global prohibition on the public defamation of religion - a response largely to the furor last year over caricatures published in a Danish newspaper of the Prophet Muhammad.The statement proposed by the Organization of Islamic Conference addressed what it called a "campaign" against Muslim minorities and the Islamic religion around the world since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

The resolution, which was opposed by European and a number of other non-Muslim countries, "expresses deep concern at attempts to identify Islam with terrorism, violence and human rights violations."

It makes no mention of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism or any other religion besides Islam, but urges countries "to take resolute action to prohibit the dissemination of racist and xenophobic ideas and material aimed at any religion or its followers that constitute incitement and religious hatred, hostility, or violence."

Read it all and feel your blood boil. I'm posting these toons in honor of the occasion.

I don't know. If I was tortured, I think I'd kind of remember it! Just sayin'"From the time I was arrested five years ago, they have been torturing me," the transcript of his hearing read. "It happened during interviews. One time they tortured me one way, and another time they tortured me in a different way.

According to his testimony he eventually "confessed" to playing a key role in the bombing of the USS Cole.

"I just said those things to make the people happy," the transcript read. "They were very happy when I told them those things."

A Muslim teaching assistant has lost her appeal against an employment tribunal's decision that not being allowed to wear a veil in the classroom was not discrimination. Aishah Azmi, 24, was suspended on full pay after staff at Headfield Church of England junior school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, said pupils found it harder to understand her.

A Leeds employment tribunal dismissed three of Mrs Azmi's claims of discrimination and harassment, but found that she was victimised and awarded her £1,000 for "injury to feelings".

Poor baby. She had an injury to feelings. Well, color me concerned. The niqab she wears is just as bad as the white hood of the KKK to me and in my eyes she is committing a hate crime just wearing it. Harsh? Not when you have al qaeda leader's exhorting the good muslimahs to wear them as part of their personal jihad.

From al- Guardian: A letter was also released - the third purportedly written by Leading Seaman Faye Turney - which criticised US and UK foreign policy.

The letter said she had been "sacrificed due to the intervening policies of the Bush and Blair governments", adding that she and her 14 colleagues were receiving better treatment than Iraqis held in Abu Ghraib, the scene of an abuse scandal in 2004.

"Whereas we hear and see on the news the way that prisoners were treated in Abu Ghrayb (sic) and other Iraqi jails by the British and American personnel, I have received total respect and faced no harm," it reads.

"It is now our time to ask our government to make a change to its oppressive behavior (sic) towards other people.

"I believe that for our countries to move forward we need to start withdrawing our forces from Iraq and leave the people of Iraq to start rebuilding their lives."

The letter's release, by the Iranian embassy in London, came after Iranian television broadcast footage of the "confession" by Mr Summers.

On the state-run al-Alam television channel, he said he wanted to "deeply apologise" to the Iranian people for "trespassing".

Prompted by someone speaking English off screen, he said the captured personnel had been treated well, served "good food" and were "grateful no harm has came to us".

The tape showed clear signs of editing, suggesting his words were being manipulated.

From Bloomberg:Financial regulators in Italy and the U.K. froze assets of Iran's Bank Sepah. The Italian central bank today said the action was in compliance with sanctions detailed in a March 24 resolution by the UN Security Council in response to Iran's nuclear program.AboutBank Sepah:The Sepah Bank whose Italian branch's assets have been frozen Italy's Central Bank was founded in 1925 as the cooperative bank of the Iranian armed forces. Today it boasts 1,700 branches in Iran and a dozen abroad, has become one of the most powerful financial institutions in the Islamic Republic. It also has a related group Sepah International, based in London. It is particularly active in internaitonal transactions and for this reason was included in the list of Iranian companies subject to sanctions. Most institutions in the Islamic Republic, especially military ones for their historic connection with this bank, have used Sepah's services for international transactions.Move to control Sepah pooh-poohed by Iranian officials but not the businessmen...The decision by Italy's central bank to take effective control of the Rome branch of Sepah, an Iranian bank linked to Tehran's armed forces, has been greeted with indifference by Iranian authorities but concern in the country's business circles. For the economy minister Davoud Danesh Jaafari "everything was taken into account" and "these resolutions (UN Security Council resolutions 1737 and 1747) will not impact on the economy."Why?The Italian banks have for some time now not accepted bank guarantees from the financial institutions of Iran and more and more often we have to use third country banks for our dealings with Italian companies" he complained. "Using a bank from a third country not only takes more time but involves a significant increase in costs which vary from five to ten percent of the global value of the transaction.""In recent months my relations with Italian firms and businessmen have become more complex and even people I have been dealing with for years are now reluctant to clinch deals with we Iranians:" he said.Where there's a will...Parwiz N. explained that to get around the difficulties caused by the international isolation of the Islamic Republic and the diffidence which has arisen since the United Nations Security Council resolution was passed, they have had to set up companies in neighbouring Dubai, involving a businessman from the United Arab Emirates.Sanctions, schmanctions, I say. You can bet the accounts have all been quietly and efficiently cleaned out in the run up to the date the plug got pulled.Here'sthe transcript from Nicholas Burns appearance in front of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. I'm beginning to think this guy wouldn't say shit if he had a mouthful.

And since we're talking economy, read what some dipwad over at alJiz magazinehas to say. Talk about having a vastly inflated sense of your own importance. Dude, I hate to break it to you, but your economic model sucks and Larry Kudlow needs to smack you around a little bit, I think.The U.S. is not interested in democracy for Iranians either but having been kicked out of Iran and losing all its economic benefits and assets in Iran, it is out for blood. I think that Mr. Bush has bullied the EU3 and the IAEA into reporting Iran to the UN Security Council for consideration for sanctioning because he is mad that a program started by the Ford administration is serving the benefit of Russia now, which is building the reactor in Bushehr. It also is an economic blow to the U.S. that the IRI switched their bourse to Euros. When the U.S. gets kicked out of a country by nationalists, it never gets over it. Look at Cuba. Nationalism is a dangerous precedent for Capitalism...

Young men cry as they wait to claim the body of their mother, killed in Thursday's bomb attack, outside a hospital morgue in Baghdad. (Photo courtesy of ThanhNien.com)

I found this picture incredibly sad and just seeing it brought 9/11 rushing back to me in an instant. Imagine if you had to deal with this kind of violence every single day? How can we let the terrorists continue to have their way in this world??? Short answer. We can't.

The Iraqi authorities have arrested a man they believe to be a major trafficker in arms, particularly bombs, coming from Iran, a US spokesman in Baghdad said on Friday. The man, whose identity has not been released, was arrested in the mainly Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in the capital. He is accused of being a middle man between groups of Iraqi insurgents and the al-Quds battalion of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. No arms were found in the house of the 58 year father of six, but police found large sums of cash, various laptop computers and two satellite phones. Excellent news. They also got the cellphones and the computers.

Khatami totally disses Britain. Calls it a "colonial power defeated by history' and accuses it of being the US's buttboy. In other news, a soccer crowd (Perseopolis v Esteghlal) shouts chants against Britain. Gee, you just don't hear that kind of stuff happening much in the UK, do you?

Tehran, 30 March (AKI) - Former Iranian reformist president Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, leading Friday prayers in the capital, has fiercely criticised the reformists and internal dissidents, who in a recent document, signed by 600 people, urged the suspension of uranium enrichment to avoid new sanctions and avoid a possible military attack against Iran. "The anti Iranian resolutions and the sanctions will not in any way affect the will of our government and out people to pursue uranium enrichment," said Khatami.

"Whoever in the country adds his voice to those of our enemies asking for suspension is either a traitor or has been tricked," Khatami said.

"These stupid people or traitors will be isolated by the great Iranian people who unanimously support the Islamic Revolution and its values," he said.

More Mullah madness and Iranian irrationality...

He also defined Britain as "a former colonial power defeated by history and now acting as an intermediary for the United States."

Friday saw another small protest rally by students outside the British embassy in Tehran, calling for the 15 captive British marines seized in the Persian Gulf a week ago.

Despite heavy security in front of the embassy, the protestors managed to hurl rocks transported there in a van.

Meanwhile during the football derby between Persepolis and Esteghlal, at Tehran's Azadi stadium, the 60,000 strong crowd was invited by loudspeakers to shout slogans against the British government, accused of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

Update: Another take on Khatami and this Friday's prayers. It was too good to pass up. Death Chants in Tehran Voice Resentment of 'The Little Satan' Ahmad Khatami, Tehran's thickset leader of Friday prayers, gesticulated in the air as he rebuked Britain. The thousands of people sitting before him are regime loyalists, representing the fifth of Iranians who always vote conservative.

Bangladesh on Friday hanged six Islamist militants convicted of a wave of deadly countrywide bombings in 2005, as the army-backed government moved to stamp out extremist violence. Security was beefed up across the country, which has been under emergency rule since January, following reports that supporters of the executed men would stage protests in their home districts.The six Islamist leaders executed early on Friday had been behind a campaign to impose Islamic law on the impoverished country. Police said among those put to death were Bangla Bhai, chief of the outlawed Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh group, and Shayek Abdur Rahman, supreme leader of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.

Shi'ite militiamen, who melted away from Baghdad when U.S. and Iraqi troops began their security crackdown seven weeks ago, are rolling back into the city with fresh Iranian training, Iraqi and other officials said. It is not clear whether the radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in control of the newly trained group, which some Iraqis describe as a "secret army" trained and equipped by Iran...Videotapes and other evidence of Iranian propaganda have been found on people recently detained in Sadr City, said a member of one of the multiple Iraqi and U.S. security forces trying to return security to Baghdad. I found this assessment of the challenge to be quite unnerving:"We are 120 men and 17 Stryker [armored vehicles] facing 2.9 million people and staring right at the fangs of the beast," said one member of the U.S. forces who faces that challenge daily. And meanwhile back here in the US, the Dhimmicrats can't surrender fast enough.

Well, almost. The Iranian "demands" have not been disclosed but the Iranians did deliver a formal letter to the British Embassy and the Brits:"are giving the message serious consideration and will soon respond formally to the Iranian government."

In keeping with the spirit of friendship and comity an Iranian official threatens legal action:If Britain continued its current approach, "this case may face a legal path," Ali Larijani, the main negotiator in Iran's foreign dealings, said on state radio. "British leaders have miscalculated this issue."

And in a classic pot calling the kettle black moment:Iranian state television reported what was believed to be Ahmadinejad's first comment on the standoff, saying he accused Britain of using propaganda rather than trying to solve the matter quietly through diplomatic channels.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

FromThe UK Sun: 'Muslim GPs blab sex secrets' MUSLIM GPs reveal women’s sexual health problems to male relatives, it has been claimed.Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said female Muslims did not trust male family doctors in their close-knit communities. She said: “If they talk to him about a situation concerning domestic violence or sexual health, they fear he will share that with members of the community.“I’ve had Muslim women give me chapter and verse on very distressing confidentiality breaches by Muslim GPs.”

Last night Muslim doctors in Ms Hewitt’s highly-Islamic Leicester constituency attacked the 58-year-old’s comments — made in GP magazine Pulse. Dr Vijoy Singh, chair of the local medical committee, said: “No GP would break confidentiality because they are liable to be sued. She’s out of touch.”

But the General Medical Council said: “Some groups of patients have added concerns about confidentiality.”

A verrry interesting op-ed piece from Der Spiegel."Anti-Americanism is the wonder drug of German politics. If no one believes what you're saying, take a swing at the Yanks and you'll be shooting your way back up to the top of the opinion polls in no time. And on the practical side, you can be the head of the Social Democratic Party and endear yourself to the party's hardcore with a load of anti-American nonsense, and still get invited back to Washington -- just look at Gerhard Schröder. In fact, you could, like leading German politicians in the debate over theplanned American missile shield in Europe, be accused of having "an almost unbelievable lack of knowledge" by a former NATO general, and even that wouldn't matter. It's all about what you believe, not what you know.Anti-Americanism is hypocrisy at its finest. You can spend your evening catching the latest episode of "24" and then complain about Guantanamo the next morning. You can claim that the Americans have themselves to blame for terrorism, while at the same time calling for tougher restrictions on Muslim immigration to Germany. You can call the American president a mass murderer and book a flight to New York the next day. You can lament the average American's supposed lack of culture and savvy and meanwhile send off for the documents for the Green Card lottery. Not a day passes in Germany when someone isn't making the wildest claims, hurling the vilest insults or spreading the most outlandish conspiracy theories about the United States. But there's no risk involved and it all serves mainly to boost the German feeling of self-righteousness."

Talovic had the gun for at least seven months, acquiring it from an individual in June or July, said Lori Dyer, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Utah. The gun originally was bought legally at a store by a man out of state and was stolen, Dyer said. Then it changed hands six or seven times among three people before reaching Talovic. It kind of made its way back and forth between the same people multiple times," Dyer said.

Then it's onto Police Chief Chris Burbank and a chorus of deny, deny, deny.There is no sign the shooting was an act of terrorism, Burbank said. Talovic did not appear to be motivated by any racial or religious agenda, he said. The chief reiterated that there is no evidence that Talovic said anything in Arabic during the shooting, as FOX News has hinted. ''People are saying, 'He's so obviously a terrorist,' '' Burbank said. "Well, we're not seeing that connection. Neither is the FBI.

A report on Topshop boss Sir Phillip Green's recent birthday party from theDaily Mail. And it sounds like some party!Some 500 cases of vintage champagne - that's 3,000 bottles, 30 per guest - caviar, lobster; dancers flown in from around the world; fireworks shooting upwards to form the shape of palm trees before melting into the night sky; supercharged searchlights which seemed to touch the stars.The star turn is George Michael, who is believed to have received £750,000 to go on stage. And, if the rumours are to be believed, the American singer and actress, Jennifer Lopez.

Dateline:MaldivesMy Prediction: Lots of seething, restless Muslims.But while the guests guzzled champagne and danced the night away in paradise without a care in the world, the Maldivian islanders were not quite so taken with the spectacle.

Cue the jungle drums:The construction of the Buddha, in particular, has troubled the locals, who are devout Muslims. "The islanders are obviously used to tourists, and Christianity as well, but they are not used to such overt signs of Buddhism and this has unsettled them," said one local source.

Uh-oh. Topless babes.As well as the controversy over the Buddha, there has also been consternation among the locals at the more decadent displays over the past few days, in particular a troupe of topless dancers.For while going topless isn't banned in the Maldives, it is frowned upon by the Muslim community and all tourist literature asks holidaymakers to refrain from removing their tops.A source said: "The staff were told before the party that they might see things that might shock them but they must not take offence.

Curses!There are dark mutterings among the deeply suspicious Maldivians all over Baa Atoll (there are 19 atolls stretching across 800km) that Sir Philip's birthday party has brought a curse to the region north of the capital, Male, where the Soneva Fushi Resort stands on the island of Kunfunadhoo.

Bad taste bikinis!The following day the revellers stayed in bed till late, emerging around lunchtime to get ready for Sir Philip's bikini party in the afternoon. Again, the bikini dress code is felt to be in bad taste by the locals - due to their Muslim beliefs.

Being a Wall Street survivor, I do hope this guy isn't somekind of scammer like Koslozski at Tyco. The party sounded outrageous and you know he had to make some Maldivian muftis and mullahs mad with this melee!

Calling all Muznuts!Abu Yahya al-Libi wants you to get busy in Somalia. He even makes a special shout out to all those"mujahedin on the information frontline"urging them to keep up their contribution to the fighting - "inciting violence"and claiming it to be"among the most honorable of devotions and loftiest acts of obedience."

Female Islamic students wearing burqas have kidnapped an alleged brothel owner and held her prisoner at their seminary in the Pakistani capital, as part of an anti-vice drive in defiance of the military-dominated Government. Late on Tuesday a group of 30 female and 10 male Islamic students broke into the alleged brothel, which lies about five minutes' walk from the mosque in the centre of Islamabad, after the owner, known as Aunty Shamim, ignored their warning to close it.

One student, Seema Zubair, 20, said they were holding Aunty Shamim, her daughter, daughter-in-law and six-month-old granddaughter inside their Jamia Hafsa seminary. She said the four were not being maltreated and would be freed if they promised to close the brothel. "We are not authorised by the Government to arrest them, but we are authorised by our religion, because this [prostitution] is evil," she said.

On Wednesday authorities arrested two of the seminary's female teachers and two male students over the abductions, sparking angry protests by hundreds of stick-wielding seminary students outside the Lal Masjid mosque, where they worship. Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the vice-principal of the seminary, threatened holy war unless the arrested teachers were freed.

But once again, the authorities cave in the face of Muzzy demands and threats:Tensions eased late on Wednesday when Mr Ghazi announced that the police would be freed after authorities had agreed to release the seminary teachers and male students.

Before her release, the alleged brothel owner read a statement confessing she had committed immoral acts. She later said it had been made under duress. Girls from the Jamia Hafsa madrassa say they have won a victory over liberals.

In a statement on her release, the woman, clad in a burqa, said she repented of her actions. "I apologise for my past wrongdoing and I promise in the name of God that in future I will live like a pious person," she said before reporters. But she refused to admit she had been running a brothel.

She still sounds like she is a real kick in the pants...The Associated Press news agency reported that she had "threatened to become a Christian" over her treatment by the students. "I don't think Islam allows anyone to beat a woman and drag her through the streets like a dog," it quoted her as saying.

Dinah's back from her week amongst the moonbats. You know, I love my friends but sometimes seeing the world through their eyes is just plain frightening. How can they be so unaware of the menace that we are facing? Why do they think their fellow citizens (i.e. anyone not buying into the lib line) are the enemy and then go on to ignore our true foe, the Islamists? Dinah spins just thinking of it. Thank goodness for being able to lite-blog. It really allowed me to maintain my sanity and my 30 plus year friendshipYou know what they say:Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, the other gold.Now, let's go fight some jihadis....Oops - almost forgot. Hot car sightings while rolling in the Escalade. A vintage Morgan convertible in British racing green, complete with wicker basket strapped on the trunk. A creamy (and dreamy)beige Rolls Royce Silver Spur II. A Jeep Jeepster tucked away in the corner of a three bay gas station garage. It was cherry!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Charlotte not only works down on the farm, she also has a high powered job in the big city that requires her presence three days a week. She telecommutes the rest of the time. It's a good gig but she works her ass off and has a lot of responsibility. I salute her longevity - I burned myself to a professional crisp years ago but she has been able to keep on going like some kind of Eveready Bunny. God love her. So right now I am coming to you from one of those suite hotel places in Atlanta. Charlotte is toiling in her office, The Squire is getting in the last load of birds and I am blogging on a pc down in the lobby.

About the birds: The chicks come in crates on semis. The crates are lowered onto a flatbed trailer attached to a pick up and then driven into the house where they are unloaded, crate by crate. All 180,000 of them.

About that immigration thing: Yesterday, I decide to find a car wash. Found one. Did some errands, blah, blah, blah. Got turned around and ended up coming the wrong way off the freeway. To get going in the right direction I turned into a street directly across from the hotel to undertake an around-the-block maneuver.

The street led into the parking lot for an abandoned Home Depot store. A store which had been evidently been abandoned in favor of one up the block. Yes, a newer Home Depot store was right up the way. That must explain why the parking lot had been taken over by a large group of day workers, 50 or so Hispanic and Black men of varying ages. Some of them looked heartbreakingly young, others so aged (or drunk) they looked like they could hardly stand up. It was about 2 pm. There was a guy pushing a cart that some kind of Guatemalan/Italian ice deal. I'm sure you've seen these guys in Latino neighborhoods. The parking lot was trashed. Garbage was strewn all over and there was clearly no place to go to the bathroom. You know what that means in the eyes of the citizen of the third world:

"Your world is my toilet." Dis-gusting.

My brother (God rest his soul) had his own landscaping business outside of San Diego. He used day laborers and told me the thing to do when picking somebody out of crowd of them was to look at their feet and pick out the one with the best work boots.

Well, there was a crowd gathering but I didn't have time to check out their boots. I was afraid I was going to hit someone. Guys were walking out in the street, holding their hands out and saying something I couldn't quite make out. I was just trying to find my way out of the place. But first, I had to go past the housing complex where it looked like a lot of the guys must have been living. It was also trashed with lots of men standing around looking at me.

And there I was looking for all the world like a Buckhead society matron. (Or would that be GRINGA?) None of them seem surprised that a 50+ broad, rolling in an Escalade would hire someone off the street corner. I found that odd. And disturbing.

All I could think of was Charlotte and her immigration policy. I couldn't WAIT to bring this one up over dinner. I also got worried. She is a woman traveling alone and the parking garage for the hotel is probably only 350 feet from this place. Not that far for a creepy perv at all. This is not good.

Our conversation went just like I thought it would. I brought up the safety angle - she pooh-poohed me. Saying loftily, "those places are always trouble free." I mentioned the fact that the men were walking out INTO THE STREET and hollering at me. She changed the subject: "I meant to tell you to be careful there's a man around who targets women and takes their jewelry." "Oh, is he Hispanic," I purred. She ignored me.If Charlotte had only asked my thoughts on immigration I would have told her. That won't happen though. Like most libs I seem to know, the opinions of others aren't that important to her. So I will tell you. I'm for strong immigration laws and enforcement of those laws. I support the creation of a wall along our southern flank. (I thought the whole idea of the "Minutemen" was great.) Regarding the creation of a temporary worker program? I'm all for it.Before you go, "Whaaaaa?"I say to you: Remember Elian Gonzalez. Remember the hue and cry that was raised when he was sent back to Cuba. Think about that scene and multiply it by 12 million. There's not a politician in the country that wants to be responsible for that scene being played out in the MSM 12 million times. Ain't. Gonna. Happen. Shut down the borders. Register the ones that are here and try to give them a path to citizenship. Don't play by the rules? Commit a crime? Hasta la vista, baby.And about those day laborers? Why don't they pick up their trash and plant a garden while they are waiting????

Monday, March 19, 2007

The Squire has gotten up in arms because he's got a problem with his cable bill and he was forced to speak to the cable company's customer service rep. A rep who lives in Calcutta. Don't say anything about the blacks or hispanics but in the world of these liberals Asians, Jews and now, Indians are fair game.

He's also ticked about the Confederate Heritage Month debate raging in the Georgia legislature and local op-ed pages of their newspapers. He doesn't believe the glorious South's past should be glorified and feels they should be focusing on current events, not events of 200 years ago. Dinah doesn't really have a dog in this fight, but tends to agree with him on the latter statement.

Still no word on when the birds arrive yet. Just a few things left to do to get ready for their arrival but The Squire has other business to attend to - he is also Mayor of the small town they live in and he is kept plenty busy with that!

Charlotte wanders into my room where I have surreptiously tuned the TV to the Fox News Channel. (I'm jonesing for news on Iraq and the Islammos - it all seems very far away here on the farm.) She looks at the screen and horror flashes across her face. "You watch Fox News?" "Yes, I do," was my sweet reply. She scoffed at me, then left the room.

Hah-hah.

About breakfast: Charlotte and I throw on our clothes, glide on the lipstick, slip on the shades and jump in the pick up truck to go over to the local Dixie diner for a half dozen egg sandwiches (and more Red Bull.) The sandwiches are a delight. FRESH eggs scrambled just right, country ham, smoky and salty to taste, slightly charred at the edges from the grill. Melty 'hoop' cheese with homemade biscuits light as air. Wowser.

The call arrives. The first load of birds will be here tomorrow morning at 5:00 am.

Time to get busy. There's lunch and supper coming up! It's also laundry day. Lots of laundry here on the farm.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

It's been busy here on the farm. Birds are to begin arriving on Tuesday morning so the weekend was spent getting the 'houses' ready. (Football field in size, they are called chicken 'houses' as opposed to barns, coops or evenPalais de Poulet, the name of Martha Stewart's chicken house.) This involves moving the tons of nasty, stinking chicken litter from the last flock and replacing it with fresh clean sawdust. It's quite an operation that requires men, muscle and machinery and there was plenty of that.

Even Charlotte and I got into the act. Our duties: The feeding and watering of a five person crew. We fixed breakfast: Fluffy, farm fresh eggs, crispy bacon, grits and light as air biscuits were served. We brewed pots of hot coffee and had Red Bull for the younger set. We fixed lunch: Sandwiches with a chilled red bean and rice salad so good it makes you want to holler. (MMM. Charlotte is a world class southern cook. Email me for the recipe!) We did cold beer and Red Bull runs. Then we fired up the smoker and started fixing supper before going to bed and doing it all over again.

As you can imagine the idea of an adult beverage and some relaxing conversation is much appreciated after that kind of day. Unless you're trying to avoid all discussion of politics, that is. Then the consumption of adult beverages is like throwing gasoline on a flickering fire.

Well, Charlotte had already had a couple of glasses of wine (Clos du Val Chardonnay) before firing off the opening salvo. It was a glorious rant about the government's involvement in victimless crimes like pot-smoking, prostitution and wait for it...IMMIGRATION. This spiraled into an indictment of hapless Alberto Gonzalez and a withering diatribe against George W. Bush and lying. I let her rant - sometimes I find it amusing to see just how far people are willing to go these days. Okay, I admit it. I even egg them on, Just a little bit. Libs are very angry people.

They are so funny sometimes, too.

Supper was at a long trestle table in their cozy, farm kitchen. Delicious cedar smoked salmon, was served with steamed asparagus and a wonderful lemony dill rice on the side. It was during dinner that the topic of immigration reared its ugly head again.

Charlotte's husband - let's call him The Squire, has just returned from a deep sea fishing trip to Costa Rica. During supper I listened to all the details of his trip. It sounded like a helluva lot of fun. Dinah has done some deep sea fishing in her day and she was very interested in hearing about his 250 lb Black Marlin catch. The Squire is now enthralled with Costa Rica and is now looking at villa properties there. Part of the reason for his enchantment?

So, let me make sure I understand this. Charlotte would willingly open our borders to all and sundry, turning this country into a third world shithole while swanning off to her Costa Rican villa with their strictly enforced immigration policy.

Typical leftie hypocrisy.

The irony of this situation is deeper than 5 million pounds of chicken litter. And after this weekend at the farm I can tell you that's pretty damn deep.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

It's good to be out of the frozen north. Sorry to hear about that big storm brewing up there. I started seeing signs of spring about Roanoke where the Bradford pears and the daffodils are all in bloom. Weather was rainy and foggy pretty much the whole way and there trucks galore on the route. The Shenandoah valley with all of its history and battlefields was beautiful. The Smoky Mountains looked gloomy and well, smoky. There were signs of redbud on the trees around Mt. Airy and little leafy sprigs started to appear at the South Carolina line. Ginormous traffic snarls around Charlotte and Atlanta. Hottest car seen yet this trip? A gun-metal gray Maserati. It was smoking hot.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

I'm scurrying around here this morning trying to round up the entourage and get ready to fire up the Lordmobile for an exciting roadtrip.

About my destination: The deep south and the belly of the beast, a gracious home where I'll be surrounded by Dixie moonbats of the bluest stripe. I will be visiting an old friend who lives on a HUGE chicken farm about 2 hours out of Atlanta and near the Alabama line for a few days.

About my friend. Her name is Charlotte and we have been buds for over 30 years. Politics never was an issue for us until 9/11. After 9/11 the scales fell from my political eyes and changed my outlook completely. Alas, that didn't happen for Charlotte (who is a fullblown sufferer of BDS) and our political conversation have become quite rude as of late. We almost came to blows during the Hurricane Katrina fiasco. Wish me luck - I hope I don't get booted because of my wingnut views!

About blogging: It's going to be light because I don't think I'll be able to get my laptop working. (SOB) Thank goodness for all my new friends at Maverick News Media. Because of them all of my dear readers will have lots of juicy content to savor.

Holy Creeping Sharia! Fausta hasthis pieceon Dolce & Gabbana's decision to pull their ads in Spain because of censorship. Creative freedom is the first to go, folks.

Monday, March 12, 2007

An elite group of Native American trackers is joining the hunt for terrorists crossing Afghanistan's borders. The unit, the Shadow Wolves, was recruited from several tribes, including the Navajo, Sioux, Lakota and Apache. It is being sent to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to pass on ancestral sign-reading skills to local border units.

Some snippets cited in the Sunday Times of Australia article: The Pentagon has been alarmed at the ease with which Taliban and al-Qa'ida fighters have been slipping in and out of Afghanistan. Defence officials are convinced their movements can be curtailed by the Shadow Wolves.

Who knows? Maybe the Wolves can help out here, too!The deployment of the Shadow Wolves came as Iraqi militants holding a German woman and her son threatened yesterday to kill their captives unless Germany started withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan within 10 days.Shadow Wolf bonus: Read this great Smithsonian Institution article on the Wolves here.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

The people over at CompUSA barely gave me enough time to turn it on before shoving me and my computer off to the side to wait on the next customer behind me.

So you know what happened.

Got home. It turned on all right. Discovered that I have a problem with a USB device though and can't connect to my wireless network. So something is screwed there. I plugged in my Verizon wireless network card and was able to get online, albeit slowly.

Then after about 20 minutes of pounding the keyboard, the right click button on the mouse froze up. No click-ee, no cut and past-ee. (And you know Dinah lives by the cut and paste.)

To make matters worse, this CompUSA is part of 140 stores that are being closed. They expect to be open for another couple of weeks, or until their deeply-discounted stock runs out. You know they are not in the mood for customer service.

So I'm back upstairs on the slow as molasses, unsafe sex (my virus protection is expired) computer without my bookmarks. I have been posting mostly over atMaverick News Mediajust because my current technology sitch makes double posting too time consuming.

There's more. I just slaved over a fine follow up ROP kidnapping piece and it completely vanished into the ether...poof.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Kidnapped Europeans in Ethiopia 'safe' The British Foreign Office said reports that kidnapped British Embassy staff are in the custody of Afar separatist rebels in Africa are being investigated. The office said reports that the four Britons, one French citizen and eight Ethiopians are in good health with the rebels are being looked into, the BBC reported Friday.

Nomadic Herders?Ismael Ali Gardo, cofounder of the Afar Pastoralists Development Association, said nomadic herders reported that the missing embassy staff and Ethiopians are "unharmed and safe" in the custody of the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front in the Eritrean settlement of Weima.

Eritrean officials continue to deny the presence of the kidnapped party in their country.

The Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF) has been fighting for years against Ethiopia and Eritrea over lands inhabited by ethnic Afar. They have also admitted kidnapping Italian tourists in 1995. Senior Ethiopian officials have claimed Eritrean soldiers might have been involved and may have kidnapped the hostages before marching them to a military camp.Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have been strained since Eritrea gained independence in 1993 following a 30-year guerrilla war. But Eritrea's information minister has dismissed the allegations, saying they were fabricated to make his country look bad.

The closed border between Eritrea and Ethiopia is hotly disputed. Aid workers pulled out about 15 months ago and foreigners are advised not to travel there.

About the Afars:

About 1.4 million Afars live in Ethiopia with smaller, but still very significant, Afar communities living as minorities in the neighbouring countries of Eritrea and Djibouti. Most are nomadic herders. Some also trade in the salt that can be mined from the Danakil Depression, a very hot and barren area lying below sea level and straddling the Eritrea-Ethiopia border. They have their own language, Afar.

And now, time for the aha! moment.

Almost all the Afars are Sunni Muslims.

What do they want? An independent homeland. When do they want it? Now.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Congressional Democrats have dramatically scaled back their plans to shape the course of the Iraq war, bowing to pressure from Republicans and conservative Democrats to pursue only nonbinding measures, at least for now, as they push to bring the troops home.

In the House, Democratic leaders now concede that they do not have enough votes to use their control over federal spending to force President Bush to begin withdrawing troops. Instead, lawmakers are drafting a far milder bill that would include guidelines for troop readiness -- requirements that the president could waive at his discretion.

In the Senate, efforts to repeal the original 2002 resolution authorizing force in Iraq have faltered as well, amid deep divisions among Democrats. Instead, Senate leaders are scrambling to find a compromise that would mandate a limited mission for US troops, but even that probably would not pass, and may not force the president's hand anyway.

With their thin majority in Congress, Democrats are now confronting the reality that finding a strong, legally binding antiwar measure that also keeps their party together may not be possible.

Riding to power...Democrats rode to power in November in large part because of antiwar sentiment. Party leaders vowed to quickly deliver on voters' desire to end the war, and polls have suggested that the public is growing more frustrated as US involvement in Iraq grinds on.

Stalled out in two months...Yet two months after taking control of Congress, the grand total of congressional action on the war consists of a single House resolution that states formal disapproval of the president's decision to send more troops to Iraq. Even that measure, which does not carry the force of law, stalled in the Senate when Democrats could not overcome Republicans' procedural roadblocks.

The State Department is turning to Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, to help burnish the country's image in the Muslim world — despite Ellison's outspoken criticism of the Bush administration's foreign policy.

"I plan to talk to people in the State Department and anywhere I can to help try to improve America's image in the Muslim world, make friends for our country," Ellison, a freshman Minnesota Democrat, said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "I want to help win friends for our country and to isolate true enemies..."

"... Ellison, who has called for an immediate withdrawalof military forces from Iraq, said he didn't find it difficult to reconcile his criticism of the administration's foreign policy with his promotion of American values. Look, you know, administrations come and go," he said. "But the basic core message of this country — which is tolerance, human rights, opportunity — does not change, regardless of who happens to be the president. (Just had to get that Bush bash in, didn't he?) And just because sometimes administration policies don't clearly reflect that — as in the Iraq war — doesn't mean it's not still a core value of the American people," Ellison added.

And listen to that old carpetbagger from CAIR, Ibrahim Hooper, spout off.

"Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an Islamic civil rights group, said that anything that can help the U.S. image in Muslim countries should be tried. "I think Keith Ellison is in a unique position to demonstrate the true nature of religious diversity in the United States to the Muslim world," Hooper said. "I don't think the State Department will ask him to endorse foreign policy — it will be a more generic, pro-American endeavor."